Ex-militants To Help Plug Infiltration From Nepal

22 April 2012Times of IndiaM.Saleem Pandit

Srinagar: The Jammu & Kashmir government will soon deploy former militants as 'spotters' along the India-Nepal border to stop infiltration. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by home secretary R K Singh on Sunday. The Centre has decided to depute J&K police along with Sashastra Seema Bal personnel to help identify Kashmiri militants using the Indo-Nepal border to re-enter the Valley and former militants will be assisting them in this task. The Indo-Nepal border has been increasingly used as an entry route ever since the state government announced the Rehabilitation Policy in 2010, under which former militants, who crossed over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir between 1989 and 2009, were being considered for safe return. However, during the past few months, there were some cases detected of militants holed up in PoK entering the Valley through Nepal and claiming they had returned according to the 2010 policy. Some of these youth were later found involved in militant activities. The personnel, besides being deployed at 15 points from where people from India and Nepal enter, will also be part of patrolling parties to man areas used for illegal infiltration, sources said. Intelligence agencies have flagged off concerns on the safe passage given to former militants without stringent surveillance mechanisms.